Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Sera, you can’t just ignore what is right in front of you! Not this time!” Emily sighed in frustration and waved at the snake-like angel that was right in front of them. “Redemption is possible! Charlie was right, what we did was wrong! We must amend for our mistakes.” 

“I understand, Emily. Believe me, I do, but we cannot rush this. We need a plan, we need time.” Sera rubbed her temples and closed her eyes. A headache was already brewing in her head, and everything that was happening was making it worse. Emily was right. Sinners could be redeemed, and that meant that all this time she had been slaughtering souls that could be saved. Innocent souls. It was a burden that now weighed on her shoulders like a boulder that was aiming to break her. 

“Pff! What’s there to think about? They killed a bunch of my girls! Sinners are rotten souls! Just because one crawled out doesn’t mean that what we did was bad!” Adam jumped in and glared at Sir Pentious. “That asshole was trying to kill me! I just did what I had to, to defend myself, so why is he now in heaven?”

”Adam, you are just mad that Lucifer kicked your butt!” Emily said, and that earned her a glare from Lute. 

“That disappointment wasn’t supposed to interfere with the extermination,” Lute replied and glanced back at Sera. “That was the deal!”

”I’m afraid our deal was broken when you two decided to attack his daughter and the hotel.” Sera replied coldly and silenced Lute with a single stare. “Hellborn were off limits, you knew this, and you still went and attacked her in some sort of grandiose show of dominance! So you two better be quiet. I am disappointed enough in your behavior.” 

An uncomfortable silence filled the room. No one dared to speak, and yet, like always, Emily was the first one to step forward and place a hand on her sister’s shoulder.

”Sera, we must make this right. I’ll personally see it through, I can go down there and try to amend things with Charlie and the rest of hell.”

”No, it’s too dangerous. I can’t let you go,” Sera quickly said and held her sister’s hand.

”Quit treating me like a child, I know that what I’m doing is right!”

”And I agree, Emily. I agree. But I cannot have you go there, not yet…But I have someone in mind.”

The Happy Hotel was bursting with sinners from every direction. They were all gossiping about the latest extermination and how the hotel was able to fend off all the exterminators all on its own! Of course, it was all thanks to the help of Lucifer, but sinners instead focused on the success of other sinners, like the people staying at the hotel. They were all excited to meet Lucifer’s daughter and her plans for the next extermination. Was she going to spill more angel blood, or was she perhaps going to torture angels as payback? 

The hotel being filled with people was all well and good, but Vaggi was completely overwhelmed. Worse of all, she couldn’t even find Charlie, and Lucifer looked more uncomfortable than ever by being surrounded by people. The dozens of reporters were not making things easier either, so Vaggi took a slight opening to sneak out and find her girlfriend.

Charlie was still mourning Sir Pentious, especially after she found out that he sacrificed himself to save them. On top of it all, he did it out of love! ‌Charlie suspected it at first when he joined the hotel after Cherri Bomb did, but she figured that would develop on its own. She never expected to have to see the two separated like this, how utterly tragic. 

“Charlie, honey, are you here?” Vaggi called from the door and rolled her eyes playfully at Charlie’s dramatic pose as she cried. “I don’t want to interrupt your moment of grievance, buuuut the hotel is kinda busting with people and I need help.”

”He was just so good, and he left us so soon,” Charlie cried against a tissue and hugged Vaggi. “I miss him!”

”Me too, but right now, your dad is downstairs at the edge of a panic attack. I cannot run the hotel by myself, and we are severely understaffed. So I need your help, okay?” 

“Okay,” Charlie blew her nose against her tissue and then stood up with Vaggi. “What do you need help with?”

“For starters, we need to get rid of the media. Vox is all over the hotel like a shark smelling fresh blood, and I don’t like it.” 

“Right! I’ll tell the reporters to leave and the-woah!” Mid-sentence, the golden portal that appeared on the roof of her room interrupted Charlie.

“Chaaaaarlie!” Emily jumped out of the portal and pounced on Charlie with a bear-like hug. “OH my God! You won’t believe this! But your hotel works! It works! Sir Pentious is with us! He’s in heaven! He was redeemed! Your hotel works, Charlie!” 

Charlie could only stare at Emily with a dumbfounded look on her face. She was still trying to process everything that Emily was telling her, but it was as if her brain wasn’t working properly. The hotel worked? Was it true? Sir Pentious wasn’t dead but actually in heaven now? Everything was too much to process, and so she screamed! It startled Emily at first, but then she started laughing and patting Charlie’s back.

“It works, Charlie! Heaven wants to find a peaceful solution with hell and help redeem more souls!” Emily laughed and got off of Charlie. She was flying around her like an excited child after being given a present.

“Urg, I can’t believe we have to come here again.” Adam stepped through the portal along with Lute. The two didn’t look too happy to be there, but it was obvious that they were following orders. 

“What are you two doing here!” Vaggi didn’t hesitate to summon her spear and point it towards the two exorcists who had almost killed her girlfriend not even a month ago.  

“Please! As if we want to be in this waste hole!” Lute took out her sword, but before she could do anything, Adam stopped her.

“Easy danger tits, you heard the boss. We can’t hurt this trash…for now.” Adam smirked at his last words, the thread of violence still hanging in the air.

“You two, behave!” Emily sighed in exasperation and shook her head before turning her attention back to Charlie. “As I was saying, Heaven wants to find a resolution to our conflict, and we have decided to support your hotel! Buuuuut Sera is still afraid that hell is too dangerous, so unfortunately, I can’t be here to help. So, she assigned another Seraphim. I don’t know him too well because he’s very young, but she assured me that he was the right one for the job!” 

“Wait, so an angel is going to be staying at the hotel?” Charlie wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Angels were usually very hostile towards sinners, and her father didn’t get along with them at all. 

“Yeah, like I said, he’s young, so maybe your father won’t have issues with him since he wasn’t around during the whole…you know…damnation to hell.” Emily laughed nervously and glanced away. “I hope that’s okay!” 

“Well, if it helps the hotel, I guess I’m willing to give it a try, but under the condition that there will be no smitting and our guests will be safe!” 

“Consider it done!” Emily grinned. “You can come now, Alastor!” 

As in cue, another figure stepped through the portal. This was an angel that Charlie hadn’t met before. He was tall with long limbs and a very slim build; he was maybe far too thin. The red and black three-piece suit he wore looked very out of place next to the creams and whites of the surrounding angels, but it was sleek and well-polished. The dark olive skin had no blemishes to the point that it looked almost porcelain, like a doll. Yet, the red eyes hiding behind a pair of round glasses were a vibrant hue that reminded Charlie of a demon. The angel’s red and black hair was long, reaching below his waist, but it was also cut in a bob-like style in the front that framed his face perfectly. The usual white halo was replaced by a red one in the shape of a crown of thorns, and it sat atop a pair of deer antlers on the angel’s head. A pair of fluffy deer ears accompanied the antlers. The Angel’s forehead was filled with minor cuts that looked like stitches that were glowing red underneath his hair. The most unsettling aspect of the angel was probably his smile. It was a wide smile filled with sharp teeth. What was odd, though, was that the angel’s wings weren’t on display. 

It was definitely an angel that looked quite different from the rest. 

Charlie took a step forward with a smile and lightly waved at the new angel. “Hello! I’m Charlie! We are soooo happy to have you here!” 

The angel only smiled in return, his smile giving off some sort of static, like a microphone feedback. “Pleasure to be meeting the Light-bringer’s daughter. The name is Alastor.” 

Alastor extended his hand to offer a handshake, and Charlie was ready to return the gesture, but she hesitated when she noticed that the Angel’s hand had a hole in it. It looked like a festering wound, glowing red like the cuts on his forehead. The angel noticed her hesitation, and he chuckled. 

“Don’t worry, my dear. They don’t hurt, and it isn’t contagious.”

“O-oh..okay.” Charlie gave a nervous laugh and shook hands with the angel while glancing at Emily. Was this angel really supposed to help them? He was so…weird. 

“Alastor isn’t like most Seraphims; he used to be human!” Emily said excitedly, “So he should have an easier time understanding sinners.”

“Wait, what? Wouldn’t that make him a winner?” Vaggi interrupted and glanced over at Alastor. She didn’t really like where this was going. 

“I’m a bit of a special case, but the details are none of your concern,” Alastor said and smiled at Vaggi. “I’m the youngest Seraphim as of now, and Sera personally assigned me to this job because of my knowledge of humans. That’s all you need to know, miss fallen angel.” 

“The guy is a cheat,” Adam added with a shrug. “I hadn’t even met him either until like, yesterday! We don’t know where or why Sera was hiding him, but it ain’t none of our business. We are here just to deliver the goods and get the fuck out.”

“We’ll stay in contact, Charlie,” Emily said, grabbing Charlie’s hands and giving them a tight squeeze. “If you need to contact me, please just ask Alastor to deliver your message. He’s here to help, so please don’t hesitate to ask!”

“Sure! Great! Uh, I guess this is goodbye?” 

“For now, yes! Alastor will supervise the hotel’s progress, and once things in hell are deemed safe, more of us will come down to help with redemption!” Emily gave Charlie’s hands one last squeeze before letting go and flying towards the portal. “Until then!” 

“Bye, Emily!” Charlie waved her goodbyes and watched as Emily flew through the portal along with Adam and Lute. 

“So,” Alastor turned towards Charlie and Vaggi. “May I ask how the hotel is managed?”

“Well, right now, it's only the two of us, plus my dad,” Charlie answered. “But my dad isn’t really a people person, so besides helping us rebuild the hotel, he isn’t helping much.” 

“Mn, so you need staff?” 

“Yes, we are severely understaffed,” Vaggi replied. 

“If you’ll allow it, princess,” Alastor said the princess title with static in his voice. “I can cash in a few favors and get people to help us, that is, if you are okay with winners being around your hotel.”

“Oh…well, I wouldn’t be opposed to it, but do you think they’ll want to come down here?” Charlie had been to heaven before, and winners were, well, quite different from sinners. 

“Oh dear, they don’t have a choice,” Alastor said with a laugh and summoned a staff that resembled an old microphone. “Favors and miracles are done to help winners in life, but they still must repay their due after death.” 

That sounded oddly familiar to Charlie, but she didn’t say anything. 

Alastor waved his staff, and another two portals appeared from the ceiling. The first one to step through the portal was a short woman with thin legs, arms, and only one eye. She had wings on her head and back and wore a pretty pink dress that resembled the 50’s fashion. Her short, pastel pink hair was a bit wild, but other than that, she was smiling a similar smile to Alastor. 

“Alastor!” The short woman flew to Alastor and hugged him around the neck.

“Niffty, dear. I have a very important mission here in hell, and although it pains me to have to bring you to this ratchet place. I need help.”

“I can help! I’ll do whatever you say!” 

“Fantastic!” Alastor grinned and petted Niffty’s hair 

A second figure stepped through the other portal, and this time it was a cat-hybrid with golden and white fur wearing an expensive-looking suit. He looked put together with his hair sleeked back and his white wings folding behind him. The blue and golden eyes looked eerily dangerous, but that look went away soon enough. Unlike Niffty, he didn’t look too happy to be here, but he was still answering Alastor’s summon without question. 

“Welcome, Husk. I need a favor to ask, and I know you love charity work.” Alastor chuckled and motioned around him. “Well, here in hell, there’ll be a lot of charity work for you to do! At least until I complete my mission, what do you say?” 

“I don’t mind charity work, but why in hell from all places?” Husk looked around him with obvious distaste in his eyes. 

“Oh, you know, it seems like the havens are willing to give sinners a chance at redemption, and who are we to deny it?” Alastor laughed, and his eyes glowed red for a few seconds. 

“Hello! It is super nice to meet you!” Charlie stepped in and shook Husk’s hand before doing the same with Niffty. “I’m Charlie, and I’m the owner of The Happy Hotel! We really need your help, so pleeease work with us! 

“I’ll help if Alastor needs help!”

“I’m already here, ain’t I?” 

“Great!” Charlie gave them a thumbs-up and a smile. “So I guess that means you guys believe that sinners can be redeemed, right?” 

Alastor snickered and covered his smile with the back of his hand. “Dear, what we believe is irrelevant; we are just here to study the results. You already redeemed one sinner, right? So that means you can continue to do so?” 

“Well, we aren’t exactly sure how it happened. We weren’t even aware of it until you guys showed up.” 

“That’s proof enough, right?” Vaggi added and crossed her arms over her chest. She really didn’t like Alastor; there was something off about him. He was trying to help, sure, but he looked uninterested, as if this was a chore that he would rather not be doing. The way he moved, his words, his tone, they all seemed to have a double meaning, and Vaggi was used to this with other angels. Especially angels that hated sinners. 

“Right, sure,” Alastor agreed, but his tone was sarcastic. “But how exactly do you plan to redeem more sinners if you don’t know how to do it? The snake we met was a very special case. He did nothing in life to try to stop people from getting hurt, so he redeemed himself by being a hero and sacrificing himself for those he now loves! Truly inspiring, right? But what about the sinners who did more than him?” 

“What do you mean?” Charlie asked. “Every sinner deserves redemption, I believe all of them can be saved.” 

“Right, right,” Alastor smiled and took a step forward until he was standing right in front of Charlie with his red eyes glowing. “So what about the sinners who killed for pleasure? The sinners who tortured or the sinners who raped? What about the sinners who pushed people to suicide, or the sinners who used and sold people like cattle? Do you believe they deserve to be redeemed?” 

“I..well…there has to be a w-way.” 

“Can you clean their souls from so much filth?” Alastor continued, his antlers growing as he spoke, while his halo grew in size. “What are you going to do when a rapist gets ‘redeemed’ and they find their victim in heaven? Are you going to tell that winner to get over their fear? Their pain? Or would you tell a victim of murder to forgive their killer? Tell me, daughter of the morning star, what are you going to do when the victims of those crimes have to face their executioners?” 

“Enough!” Vaggie got ‌between Alastor and Charlie, and she glared at the angel in front of her. “I know what you’re doing, and I’m not going to let you. You might not believe in redemption, but you have no right to speak to her like that.” 

Alastor only smiled in return. “You are mistaken, I wouldn’t be a blessed soul if I didn’t believe in redemption. After all, God has rescued believers from the power of darkness and has transferred them into the kingdom of his beloved Son. The ultimate sacrifice was his own flesh and blood. We were all once sinners, and only through redemption do we ascend to his kingdom.” 

“Then why say all of those awful things?” Charlie asked. 

“Because, princess, that’s what you should be thinking about. I might be here to help you and to study redemption to give a formal review to Sera, but at the end of the day, I am also here to keep heaven safe. So, it is in your best interest to try to impress me.” Alastor gave her another smile and motioned with his hand towards the door. “Now, shall we see how things are going downstairs?”

“Right, sure.” 

Charlie led the way out of her bedroom and down the stairs. The hotel was still full of sinners who now looked more agitated at the lack of service. There was no one to manage the front desk, and there was also no one to keep them entertained while they waited for Charlie to show up and tell them about her new plans! All sinners were ready to fight off angels and kill them if needed to, but what they didn’t expect was for angels to follow behind Charlie when she finally showed her face. 

The whole room went silent. All the sinners could do was stare as Charlie walked down the stairs with a nervous smile and three angels behind her. “Hello, everyone! Awesome to have you here!” 

The room was so quiet that even crickets could be heard. 

“I was just informed that redemption is possible! That’s right! We can redeem sinners! And to prove it, we have some awesome angels that came here to help us with the hotel!” Charlie motioned towards the angels with her hands and smiled.

“Are you…Are you siding with the angels!?” Of course, it was one of the reporters who broke the silence and rushed towards her. “Angels are the reason for the extermination! Are you now taking their side?”

“What? No! Nononono! You got it all wrong, all wrong! They are here to help us with the hotel because redemption is possible! Did you not hear me a second ago?” Charlie tried to explain really quickly, but it was too late; the mob was now talking. 

“I thought this was the hotel where you came to kill angels?”

“Isn’t this the place where they killed a bunch of exorcists?” 

“Lucifer beat up Adam and saved us! Angels are evil!”

“Why would we want angels in hell! They are better off dead!” 

“We just came here because we wanted to kill angels!” 

Charlie winced at the crowd’s words, and her eyes worriedly looked over at Alastor. The angel was still smiling, as usual, but his eyes were colder than before, yet he was able to hide his animosity quite well behind his smile. 

The crowd kept arguing, and their shouting grew louder. By now, it was obvious that Charlie had lost control of the conversation. Alastor gave her a pitiful look and then took a step forward. He flashed the crowd a bright smile, and then his voice rang through the room like an echo in a dark cave. 

“Quiet.” 

Every single sinner went silent as if their lips were sealed shut. 

“I know heaven and hell have a rough history,” Alastor said as he walked down the stairs and towards the sinners. They all parted ways around him, as if he were moving through the Red Sea. “I must remind you that this all started because a spoiled star decided to try to be different, and now you’re all being punished for it. But as the princess said, there is still a chance for you all to leave this putrid hole and find peace in heaven. We won’t force anybody to change, but if you are willing to repent for your sins, there is a chance of a better life for you. For all eternity.” 

“No more suffering, no more pain, no more struggling,” Alastor continued and walked towards a few sinners. “Aren’t you tired? Aren’t you exhausted from struggling every day to try to survive in a place that doesn’t care about you? This place is pain, it is suffering. The punishment can stop if you are willing to swallow your pride and bow your head to find divine salvation. For He is forgiveness and love, and will welcome you into his kingdom. Amen.” 

Alastor snapped his fingers, and then the crowd was able to move their mouths again, yet nobody dared to say anything. It was strange, but the angel’s voice and his words were oddly reassuring. Well, it was mostly his voice; there was something about his voice that captivated everyone around him. It was almost impossible not to pay attention to him and listen to what he had to say. 

“Who the hell is that?” 

Charlie looked away from Alastor just as Lucifer appeared next to her in a cloud of fire. 

“His name is Alastor, dad. He’s here to help us. Heaven sent him to oversee the hotel and help us run it. Emily said that redemption was possible, dad. We really have a chance to give our people ‌a better life.” 

“Alastor? Never heard of him,” Lucifer said with a shrug. “What is he? Some sort of exorcist? Nah, that can’t be, Adam only likes women hanging around him.” 

“He’s a seraphim, dad.”

“What?!” Lucifer yelled and stared at Charlie with wide eyes. 

“Dad, calm down. He’s here to help us.” Charlie gently put her hands on Lucifer’s shoulders and smiled at him. “I promise, I won’t let them fuck this up for us. Okay?” 

“Charlie, I believe in you and your dream, and I’m glad it has become a reality, but really, I wouldn’t trust angels that much,” Lucifer whispered the last part and leaned close to his daughter. “You know how heaven can be, they aren’t willing to listen unless it's for their own good.” 

“You told me that already, dad, and I believe you, but I also trust Emily. She was on my side when we went to heaven, and she is advocating for us. Plus, we need all the help we can get. You aren’t very good at being a receptionist.” 

Lucifer sighed and was about to say something else when Alastor’s voice cut him off. 

“Oh, well, if it isn’t the morning star himself. I have to say, you really don’t do the scriptures justice,” Alastor laughed and walked to stand next to Charlie. 

“Ahahaha,” Lucifer faked a laugh. He rolled his eyes and glared at Alastor. “It’s heaven so understaffed that they are sending nobodies now to help?” 

“Better be a nobody to the devil himself than a subject,” Alastor chuckled, clearly amused. “It is unfortunate that I now have to meet you, but a job is a job, isn’t? Unlike others, I know how to follow the orders from above.” 

“You little shit, you come into my hou-!”

“Whoa dad, calm down!” Charlie quickly moved her arms around Lucifer to keep him from launching himself at Alastor. 

Alastor’s only reply was to laugh. He hid his smile behind his hand and giggled, but then his eyes went wide and he tilted his head as if he was just now noticing something. Alastor’s wide eyes turned towards the reporters, and his laugh stopped. 

“Alastor?” Charlie asked quietly.

“Someone is watching us.” 

“Well, yeah, the news is here, and they are recording all of this.” 

“They can’t record me,” Alastor said quietly, as if it were common knowledge. He looked distracted, almost as if he was in a trance as he stared at the camera not far from him. “I must be getting rusty. I should have noticed those eyes from the beginning.” 

Alastor’s eyes continued to stare into the camera before they slowly rolled back and changed to pure white. The technology in hell was different from the one in heaven; it had always been, but it mimicked the one from earth, and Alastor knew that one pretty well. In the end, it all came to the same wavelengths that made everything possible. It was the same static electricity that he was familiar with, even if the one here in hell was crude and unrefined. 

It wouldn’t take long to find them. It shouldn’t take him long at all, and yet he was having fun finding the source of those eyes. How interesting. Perhaps these demons truly saw him as nothing but a fool. He even saved them from being blinded by not using his true form, and yet they were trying to take advantage of his generosity. How vile.

The stare was also very intrusive. Those eyes were watching them like a hawk aiming for prey. He could almost reach them, yes, just a bit longer, and there they were! 

Alastor opened his eyes again, and the room he appeared in was filled with computer screens and holograms showcasing the hotel and everyone inside. He looked around, noticing how the cameras that were trying to record him kept glitching and seemed to be frozen in place at the moment. It was obviously some kind of security room. What Alastor didn’t expect was to see a screen with a body only a couple of feet away from him. That was odd, wasn’t it? 

Alastor smiled.

It wasn’t as if he was truly in the room to begin with; it was merely some of his essence that was now sitting down on the desk in front of him with one of his legs over the other while his hands rested on his knees. 

Vox didn’t know how to react. When he felt something moving through his system, he figured it was just another lousy hacker trying to get information on VoxTec, so he quickly moved to block their sorry attempts just to realize it didn’t work. Whatever was moving through his system wasn’t something normal, and as he tried to block and get rid of the stranger, it only seemed to make them faster. He didn’t know what was happening; only a few moments ago, he was watching the hotel feed, and then suddenly, he was dealing with some master hacker? That couldn’t be right! 

Expect it wasn’t a hacker, it wasn’t even a sinner. Vox took a step back and stared at the figure that had made his desk a comfortable seat. The being in front of him reminded Vox of a shadow; it resembled a person, but also didn’t. Except this shadow was completely white and was glowing. Still, Vox was able to see something else behind the glowing white light. He could see red scars on the being’s hands, hoofs, and forehead, along with scars that covered his whole back. Lastly, he could see bloody tears falling from the corners of those glowing eyes. 

Also, was he naked? Vox couldn’t really tell, but he was definitely not wearing any clothes. 

“You are a funny-looking fellow,” Alastor said with a laugh, his voice sounding more distorted than usual. 

“Who the fuck are you?” Vox quickly regained his composure and tried to act as if the stranger hadn’t startled him. 

“Alastor is the name, and I couldn’t help myself, you see, I don’t like people watching me without my permission,” Alastor said and shook one of his fingers with a smile. “I consider that quite naughty.” 

“Oh, I see, you are one of the new angels in the hotel, uh?” Vox chuckled and fixed his blazer before taking a step closer to the angel. “Well, welcome to hell, darling. I own half of this place, and my eyes are everywhere, so I suggest getting used to it.”

“For your own safety, I suggest keeping your eyes away from that hotel.” Alastor’s smile grew, and his ears went stiff. “I won’t hesitate to break every single one of those eyes of yours that you seem so proud of.” 

“I thought you angels were here to help. Are you threatening me?” Vox grinned and moved closer, his claws now resting on the desk next to the angel’s legs. “Imagine how that would sound on the news ten minutes from now.” 

“Threatening you? Oh heavens no, of course not. I cannot hurt sinners when I’m trying to redeem them…But that doesn’t stop me from issuing warnings. I can be very persuasive,” Alastor leaned in, resting his chin against the palm of his hand. “You see, I don’t want to get in trouble when I just landed here and my superiors are really counting on me, so it would mean the world to me if you just do me this tiny, little favor.” 

Vox blinked a few times and stared at the angel, was…was this angel pouting at him? He was so perplexed that all he could do was blink while trying to make sense of what was happening, but before he could, Alastor kept talking. 

“I know you want to be good, doesn’t everyone? So you can be good for me and just turn those cameras off.” Alastor’s hand reached to lightly tap Vox’s screen in a playful way. “Do me this one favor, and I’m sure you’ll be rewarded by His grace when you decide to repent.” 

Vox wasn’t sure of what was happening, but it was as if the inside of his head was scrambling to do what the angel was asking of him. 

“Everyone wants to feel good in the end, everyone wants to be good.” 

Alastor’s voice started to sound further and further away. Vox knew that something was wrong, but he also couldn’t bring himself to care. It was as if his senses were becoming numb, but also they had never been more awake. He could feel something pulling at his chest, and it was as if Alastor’s voice was embedded into his very being. It was slowly slipping through his circuits and turning one with his body. 

“You’ll be good for me, right? So, turn off those cameras and make me happy. You want to make me happy, don’t you?”

Vox could feel himself falling, and then his eyes snapped open again. When Vox regained consciousness, he found himself lying in the same room surrounded by broken computer monitors that hung from loose wires. His whole monitoring room was in ruins. The backup servers were completely destroyed, his live feed had gone offline, and all the cameras around the hotel were gone, as if they had never been there to begin with. He wanted to get up, but he couldn’t will himself to do so; there was a high still clinging to his body that he had never felt before. It was itching under his skin and making him want to sleep again, and so he did. 

He dreamt of angels with red eyes. 

Chapter Text

V-Tower was on high alert since the early hours of the morning. It wasn’t every day that Velvette and Valentino found Vox unconscious and with obvious signs of struggle. They suspected it was an attack from an overlord or possibly an inside job, after all, only Velvette and Valentino could gain access to Vox’s security room. One thing was for certain, they needed to be careful, and they needed answers. 

Those answers came to them a few hours later when Vox finally woke up. 

“So, you are telling me an angel did this?” Velvette asked and squinted a little. How was a damn angel able to get to V-Tower, and also how was he able to get in without them knowing? 

“Yeah, one of the little angels Lucifer’s brat brought to her shitty hotel,” Vox sighed and closed his eyes. He still had a headache from whatever the fuck the angel did to him. He wasn’t really in pain, but he was having a hard time focusing, and worse of it all, it felt as if he was ready to fall asleep again. 

“Well, Voxxy, not that I don’t believe you, but the security footage we recovered showed you smashing your shit to pieces.” Valentino turned his tablet over to show Vox the same video the three of them had already watched. 

The security footage didn’t show the angel Vox had seen the night before, instead, it showed Vox just standing there, talking to himself. He was talking and looking at his screens, and then all of a sudden, he was stabbing his keyboard and main console with his claws. He was ripping the monitors apart with his bare hands before using the cables that came out of his back to destroy the rest. He even used electricity to fry the backup servers. All the video showed was him going crazy and destroying everything on his own, yet Vox had no memory of it at all. 

“I’m telling you, he brainwashed me,” Vox tsk’d and pushed Valentino’s tablet away. “I know what I saw.”

“Funny how you are the one who usually does the brainwashing.” Velvette said with a chuckle. “I thought brainwashing didn’t work on you or Val.”

“I thought so too, but I never dealt with a fucking Angel before Vel!” Vox was starting to get frustrated. 

“Noted,” Velvette replied and looked away from her phone. “So, does this affect our plan or what?”

“Plan?” Valentino asked.

“You know, THE plan,” Velvette urged and groaned at Valentino. “The whole taking over heaven? Does it ring a bell or not?”

“Oh! That plan!” Valentino smiled, but then tilted his head with a frown. “Yeah, like, how are we supposed to do the whole become gods thing when it seems like angels are that strong?”

“They won’t be strong for long, not when we finally get our hands on some angelic weapons.” Vox tapped his claws against his desk, pondering their next move. “One thing is for sure, we need more info on these angels. It seems like they are on a whole different level than the exorcist bitches the princess killed.” 

“We could always get more drones around the hotel,” Velvette suggested. 

“We can’t,” Vox answered right away. “The angel that hypnotized me can sense my cameras. He can feel them to the point that he was able to tell where I was, and then teleported to me while ignoring my firewall and security protocols.” 

“Well, it seems like you have met your match,” Velvette looked far too amused over the situation.

“Whose side are you on?!”

“Take a chill pill, square head. I just find it funny. Plus, the princess said the angels weren’t coming to hurt sinners, and from the footage we got from the reporters yesterday, even the angels said so. They can try to intimidate all they want, but they are going to pussy out when it comes to fights.”

Velvette was right, Vox couldn’t deny it. The angel from last night didn’t harm him; he just made it impossible for Vox to be able to spy on the hotel, at least not with cameras, right? Vox grinned as another idea popped into his head, and he glanced at Valentino. He was going to have to do some sweet talking and probably a lot of fucking before getting what he wanted, but it wasn’t as if Valentino was able to say no to him. 

In the meantime, they needed to find another way in. Vox was so engrossed in his thoughts that he almost missed the notification that popped up on one of his holograms. He glanced at his email without much care before doing a double take and grinning from ear to ear. 

“No fucking way, luck is on our side. This gotta be destiny.” 

“What is it?” Velvette asked. 

Vox made the holograms appear in front of him and then flicked his wrist to send the email to Velvette. She read it as quickly as she could before laughing.

“There’s no fucking way! She really doesn’t learn!” 

“What, what?” Valentino leaned against Velvette and squinted at the small letters on the email. “Why is the font smaller than your dick, Vox?”

“Shut the fuck up, you blind bitch,” Vox made the font bigger, and then Valentino was finally able to read the email. Vox’s dick was not small! 

“You’ll have to stay home and babysit the place, Val. We know how the princess feels about you because of Angel,” Vox rolled his eyes as he said Angel’s name and fixed his bowtie. “I’ll take Velvette with me. After we get back, I have a proposition for you.”

“Oh, propose to me all you want, baby.” Valentino grinned and took a long drag of his cigarette before blowing the pink smoke towards Vox. 

Alastor watched with uninterested eyes as Charlie began another one of her little rehabilitation sessions. She was quite the character, there was no doubt about it. Even when the sinners around here were clearly not interested in what she had to say, she still didn’t let it get to her and kept pushing. Perhaps a tad much if Alastor was honest. Yes, Charlie was passionate, but she was passionate to a fault, especially when all that energy and all that passion were directed at the wrong things. 

What did this little girl even know about heaven? She wasn’t born there, and as far as Alastor was aware, she had only ever been there on a visit, and that visit was shorter than a regular mass. Meaning that her knowledge of the winners or the people who inhabited heaven was quite limited. 

It was true that nobody truly knew what exactly got people into heaven, but that itself shouldn’t be seen as a hindrance, but instead a massive opportunity. It meant that no matter how flawed someone was, as long as they truly repented for their sins and bowed down to God, then they, too, could one day see the pearly gates. 

But Charlie wasn’t focusing on that; her ideology was all over the place. She was worried about people taking drugs or having sex, as if some winners hadn’t taken drugs before or had sex. She had this childish and extremely naive idea of what being virtuous meant. Why, she probably truly thought that only virgins made it to heaven at this point. 

Case in point. Charlie was trying to get one of her friends to change the clothes that he was wearing. Alastor didn’t miss the glances his way or the way Charlie was obviously trying to make the white spider dress different to try to make him and the other two angels comfortable, as if Alastor wasn’t used to seeing half-naked people walking around all over heaven. 

This poor, misguided girl. 

“Dear, if I may,” Alastor interrupted the small argument and walked to stand next to the spider. “Sir, Angel, correct?”

“You can just call me Angel, the sir is weird,” Angel said and then leaned towards Alastor with a smirk. “Or you can call me baby, too.” 

Alastor leaned away from Angel, a smile still on his face. “Alright, Angel, it is! But dear,” Alastor turned to address Charlie again. “I don’t really think there is anything wrong with what this fellow is wearing. It is a tad revealing, but nothing we haven’t seen before at heaven’s clubs.”

“He’s right,” Husk added with a shrug. “Some people in heaven don’t even wear clothes. Especially the older winners.” 

“Oh!” Charlie exclaimed, her shoulders sagging as she stared down at the sweater she was holding. She had been trying to get Angel to wear it for quite some time now. “But isn’t being naked, sort of bad? Or dressing suggestively?” 

“Why would it be bad?” Niffty asked. 

“Well, it could be dangerous! Plus, you are inviting lust into your life, right?” 

Alastor made a soft static noise at Charlie’s reply. “I’m afraid that what one wears has no real effect on whether they’ll make it to heaven or not, dear. Fashion changes with time, and times change constantly. What was once deemed right could be considered incorrect the next. If your friend Angel were to walk around naked and be assaulted, would it be his fault?”

“No! Well, I don’t think so…but being naked doesn’t help?” Charlie asked and winced, knowing that what she was saying didn’t really sound right, but she couldn’t explain why. 

“You’re right, it wouldn’t be Angel’s fault. It would be the perpetrator’s. It wasn’t Angel who was inviting lust in; lust was already living in someone’s heart, and it was strong enough to allow them to harm someone else,” Alastor explained. 

“I mean, yeah sure,” Angel added with a laugh. “But it isn’t like I ain’t asking for it, right?” 

The three angels went quiet and looked at Angel with the same unreadable expression. 

“A little seduction would do the trick,” Angel continued. He smiled nervously at first, but then his confidence was back as he put up his usual act. “I ain’t helping and making this worse, and who knows maybe I’m into that!” 

“No one asks to get hurt,” Husk broke the silence and looked at Angel straight in the eyes as he spoke. “No one is deserving of pain. No one is responsible for the evil actions of someone else. The only one guilty is the one who’s willing to harm someone even when they know it's wrong.” 

Angel looked taken aback by Husk’s words. He broke eye contact with him and gently rubbed his arms together before smiling again and brushing his hair back. The mask dropped for a second, but the angels didn’t miss it. Even if Angel tried his best to perform, he wasn’t used to this kind of crowd. 

Angels were for sure different. If Valentino had been here, he would have agreed with Angel right away. He would have nodded along while talking about how he was a seductive little thing that just wanted to get fucked. It was the right answer after all, the answer Angel was looking for and was used to hearing, but then again, if that answer was so right, then why was he running away from his boss and hiding in a hotel? 

“What if we take a different approach, princess?” Alastor changed the subject and took the attention away from Angel. He looked conflicted enough, and their stares probably weren’t helping. 

“I’m always open to suggestions,” Charlie said with a smile. 

“Fantastic!” Alastor grinned. “I don’t mean to criticize your methods, but I’m afraid your ideology of heaven is quite skewed!” 

“Oh! Is it now!” 

Alastor fought the urge to sigh as a new voice chimed in. Lucifer was now picking the time to join the conversation, not that he hadn’t been around the whole time, along with Charlie’s girlfriend. The two were just observing the entire time, waiting for a slip-up or for the angels to do something to Charlie. It seemed like now was the time for the two to remind Alastor that they were still around, especially Lucifer. 

“Yes, it is,” Alastor doubled down on his words and ignored Lucifer by not looking at him. “I would like to take a different approach. How about some of the Ten Commandments?” 

“Wow, heaven imposing rules as a solution, what a shocker,” Lucifer laughed, even if he had no idea what the Ten Commandments were. 

“Well, as we know by living examples, rules aren’t always followed and are more like suggested guidelines,” Alastor replied with a condescending smile. 

“And what happens when you don’t follow those guidelines, uh?” 

“Consequences,” Alastor said as a matter of fact and then finally glanced down at Lucifer with an overly sweet smile. “I’m sure you know what that is, after all these commandments were made years after your banishment and were set in stone to try to start the process of healing what you caused.” 

Lucifer narrowed his eyes. “What humanity decided to do with free will wasn’t my fault nor my doing.” 

“Right, of course, we cannot blame everything on the devil himself,” Alastor agreed with a nod. “Free will isn’t a curse, after all; humanity yearns for freedom more than anything else! Freedom is a gift, a blessing. But we are also told to live as people who are free, not using freedom as a cover-up to do evil, but as servants of God. Freedom comes with evil; to have the will to do as you wish also comes with the will to do as you desire, and desire can have dark roots. You only saw the good in free will because that’s all you wanted to see, and because that’s all you saw, you ignored what was festering inside until it became your punishment. You risked all the good. After all, you couldn’t see the bad because you were too blinded by your ideas and your desires. Pride blinded you, and even now, it is that same pride that continues to deny your wrongdoings, and instead, you blame humanity for it.” 

Alastor turned to face Lucifer, the same sweet smile still on his face. “It must be easy, closing your eyes, your heart, to it all and putting the blame on the shoulders of a lifeform that came after you, that was always meant to be flawed. Humanity might be flawed, but it is still better than a rotten apple.” 

“If He knew they were flawed, why create them in the first place!” Lucifer hissed, his wings spreading behind him while his horns grew in size and his eyes turned red. “Why create pitiful creatures that would stain the world he created!” 

Alastor shrugged and ignored how Lucifer flew closer to him. “Because humanity, as flawed as it is, was and will always be God’s favorite children. You know that, maybe because you always knew that you subconsciously wished for their failure. After all, spoiled children tend to get jealous quite easily.” 

“What do you even know! A mortal trying to play the role of a seraphim!” 

“Woah, dad, dad. I think that’s enough,” Charlie gently reached for her father’s hand and pulled him down. “Alastor was just trying to help.” 

“Charlie, I don’t think your dad was totally wrong.” Vaggi reached out to place a hand on Charlie’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “We can’t put all of our trust in angels. We don’t even know what rules he’s talking about, believe me, heaven loves to do whatever they want and then claim it as a rule.” 

“You and the morning star have a different perspective,” Alastor quickly said, steering the conversation back to what he was trying to propose to Charlie. “But you aren’t even giving me a chance to talk. I wasn’t saying sinners should follow every single commandment, after all, it is even impossible for a regular person to do it; I was just going to suggest following some of the main ones. You shall not make yourself an idol, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not commit impure actions, you shall not covet. Does this sound unreasonable?” 

Lucifer and Vaggi couldn’t really argue this time. The two looked at one another and then looked back at Charlie. 

“See? What he’s saying isn’t even bad.” Charlie sighed and reached out to hold Lucifer’s and Vaggi’s hands. “I know you both had issues with heaven, and I know you both had bad experiences with angels before, but maybe we shouldn’t judge all angels the same?” 

“But we also shouldn’t let down our guard,” Vaggi added with a nod. “Sounds fair?”

“Yes!” Charlie grinned and hugged her girlfriend. “Oh, shit! What time is it?” 

“Why ask that now?” Vaggi chuckled and kissed Charlie’s cheek. “Maybe past noon?” 

“Well, you see, hehehe,” Charlie giggled nervously and poked her fingers together while avoiding looking at Vaggi. “I sort of, kinda, maybe, got a new reporter to come today.” 

“What? Sweetie, we finally got rid of the damn reporters!” 

“I know, I know! Buuut have you seen the news? They are bashing us left and right! They are totally making up lies about the hotel! Plus, they are saying that the angels are here to hurt sinners! So I figured I could get someone here to clear things up!” 

Vaggi sighed and gave Charlie a pointed look. “The Vees are doing it on purpose, honey, you know this. Vox is taking whatever chance he gets to bash the hotel, and I feel like the more attention you give him, the more he’s winning.”

“I know, but it’s just weird! He didn’t have any interest in the hotel at all until after we fought the angels, but now he’s all over the hotel! What’s the point of making us look bad? He has no reason to do it!” Charlie argued in frustration. “ I have to set things straight with him!”

“He’s the media overlord, Charlie,” Vaggi’s voice became firmer this time, and she reached out for Charlie again. “He’s going to spin things his way no matter what we do. The more attention he gets, the bigger his win. I’m sure he’s talking about the hotel because we are a hot topic right now, but if we give him no reason to talk about us, he’ll stop pestering us.” 

“Do you really think so? It’s been a few days now, and he hasn’t stopped. I don’t think he will as long as we are in business and the angels are here, so maybe we just need to take charge of the situation.” 

Vaggi rubbed her face with both of her hands, not knowing what else to say. It wasn’t as if what Charlie was saying was wrong. She just had an awful feeling about this. 

The doorbell rang. That was weird. People usually just walked in, after all, this was a hotel. 

Charlie glanced at Vaggi with a suspicious look in her eyes before making her way downstairs with Vaggi following behind her. The two weren’t used to anyone knocking on their door since, well, since Angel Dust first showed up, and that was well over a year ago. 

Charlie opened the door and was instantly greeted by a wide smile behind a TV screen. 

Oh, it was Vox. Wait, it was Vox! 

Charlie, panicky glanced over at Vaggi, but before she could say anything, Vox was already walking in with his eyes looking all over the hotel. 

“Greetings, princess!”  Vox said with a wide smile and a wave. “It is soooo nice to finally meet you! I’m Vox, CEO of VoxTek and winner of the hottest man in hell, and this is my lovely associate, Velvette.” 

Velvette walked right behind Vox with her phone in her hands and an unimpressed look on her face. “A pleasure.”

She sounded anything but pleased, Vaggi noticed. 

“You wanted an interview, right? And you said to send the best! So we decided to come here directly to see what the fuss was about! I gotta say, you sure are the talk in town.” Vox said, amusingly and with a mocking smile. Of course, Charlie and the hotel were what everyone was talking about; it was all due to the Vees after all. 

“I was honestly expecting another reporter,” Charlie said with a nervous laugh. “I didn’t know you two were going to be the ones doing the interview.” 

“Well, we wanted to show you how serious we are about your little hotel!” Vox grinned and took out his phone. “Plus, it says right here in your email that everyone is welcome to come. Now, Velvette, what do you think about this place?” 

Velvette pursed her lips and looked around. “Honestly, I have seen worse, but this is still at the bottom of my list. It’s tacky, with crashing themes and horrible color choices. Who designed this place?” 

“That would be my dad,” Charlie answered and looked around the hotel. Was it really that bad? She thought it was charming. “Guests haven’t complained about the place.” 

“That’s probably because they don’t know any better,” Velvette was quick to respond while taking pictures with her phone. 

“Or maybe you’re just being rude,” Vaggie mumbled, only for Charlie to hear. 

“Now, princess!” Vox drew everyone’s attention back to him as he reached out for Charlie to place one of his claws against her shoulder. “Where are these angels we keep hearing about! Everyone is curious about them. They are the hottest topic in town, right next to you, of course.” 

“Oh, the angels are right here,” Charlie motioned towards the top stairs in the lobby. Just as she said, the three angels were watching the scene playing in front of them without saying a word. 

“Fantastic!” Vox’s grin only grew, and he looked at the three angels, but his eyes lingered longer on the angel with red eyes that was smiling at him. He could recognize that silhouette anywhere; that was the angel that hacked through his system. “Can the angels come down and play?” 

“What?” Charlie’s eyes moved from Vox to the angels, and she stepped in front of Vox with a frown. “The interview is supposed to be about the hotel, to dismiss all the doubts sinners have.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Vox waved one of his hands dismissively. “We’ll get to that, but you have to understand, princess. Sinners are terrified of angels, and the fact that you are allowing them to live here with you in the same hotel that you say is safe for sinners, well, it doesn’t sit well with people! It makes everyone paranoid and scared, so I figured that we could introduce hell to these angels of yours and maybe that could help with your atrocious reputation.” 

“I don’t know, this doesn’t sound right,” Charlie said softly. She wanted to get rid of the bad rumors and help with the hotel's reputation, but she also didn’t want to involve the angels that were here to help her. 

“So you are refusing the interview, got it.” Vox shook his head and sighed before quickly looking over at Velvette. “We’re leaving. It was a pleasure, princess, but we have better things to do.”

“And better things to write,” Velvette added with a smug look. “Do try to invest in an actual interior designer.” 

“Wait, don’t leave! We really need to clear things up! Everyone is wrong about the hotel, the angels aren’t going to harm anyone!” Charlie followed behind Vox and Velvette. She wanted to stop them, but she didn’t know how. What Vox said was true, sinners were horrified by angels, but what they didn’t understand was that these angels were good and wanted to help with redemption! They had been nothing but kind and understanding, at least for Charlie. 

The clock was ticking, and Charlie didn’t know what to do. 

“O-okay, fine! You can interview the angels, but you have to be nice to them!” Charlie gave in and missed the amused look Vox and Velvette shared. 

Vox turned into pure electricity and teleported next to Charlie, wearing a wide smile. “Of course, princess! We’ll be nothing but kind!” 

Charlie sighed and gave the two a thumbs-up before looking at the angels at the top of the stairs. She walked over to them, leaving Vox and Velvette talking behind her. 

“Velvette, start a live stream,” Vox quickly said. 

“Already live, love,” Velvette answered with her phone following Charlie as she went up the stairs to talk to the angels. “Hello, my lovely, puppets. We are live from the crappy hotel, and guess what? We are about to meet some angels. Disgusting, isn’t it?” 

Vox’s grin only grew when the three angels looked their way before going back to talking with Charlie. It was roughly five minutes after that Charlie descended the stairs with the three angels following behind her. She still looked extremely nervous, but that was to be expected. The three angels, however, didn’t seem bothered at all. The angel in the middle, with the red eyes, even looked amused. Vox still remembered his name, Alastor. 

But before the trio met the duo, Charlie was pulled to the side by none other than Angel. He quickly dragged the angels away as well, before giving Vox a dirty look. 

“Charlie, what are you doing!” Angel whispered with a hiss and glanced back at Vox one last time. “That’s Vox, my boss’s partner! Y’know? Valentino, the guy you met before that was a complete asshole!” 

“Yeah, I remember, and well, I wasn’t expecting him to come here personally!” Charlie said defensively. “I expected a regular reporter.” 

“Charlie, you don’t wanna mess with Vox, believe me. He’s worse than Valentino, he gets his rocks off by watching people suffer. He’s literally the worst of the worst! And you’re just going to let him mess with these guys?” Angel pointed towards the angels with his thumb. “Look at what they doing to the hotel’s reputation, ya really think he’s gonna say something good about the angels? He probably wants to fuck with them and make them act up to make you look bad!” 

“But the angels can’t hurt him, and they won’t hurt him. Whatever he’s planning is not going to work.” 

“Whatever control you think you have over this situation? It ain’t there, Charlie,” Angel shook his head and gently put his hands on Charlie’s shoulder. “Vox is a master at taking control of situations. He plays with people like toys every single day. There isn’t a time when he isn’t in control, please, Charlie, just listen to me.” 

“Am I interrupting something?” As if to prove a point, Vox teleported next to Charlie and used the tips of his claws to dismiss Angel’s hands from her. “I would love to sit around and wait ALL day for this interview, but I do have a company to run, so, shall we?” 

This time, Alastor chuckled and gently patted Angel’s back. “I appreciate your relentless and brave need to protect us, my arachnid friend, but we already agreed to do this interview for Charlie.”  

“Did you now?” Vox’s grin grew sharper as he took a step closer to Alastor. “Are you perhaps used to doing interviews? It would be a shame if you are, after all, I do like to be people’s first impressions when it comes to media.”

“Oh no, I’m afraid this would be my very first interview,” Alastor said with a smile. “I do hope you are gentle with someone as inexperienced as me.” 

“Don’t worry, I’ll be as gentle as I can be.” Vox chuckled. “I like first timers the best.” 

Alastor’s answer was to keep smiling.

“So what made you agree to do this interview with us?” Vox motioned for Velvette to keep filming as he spoke. 

“Our girl, Charlie, just wants to clear out any misunderstandings that sinners may have,” Alastor explained and patted Charlie’s shoulder. “We are here to help sinners that are in the path of redemption, so of course, the least we want is for them to fear us.” 

“Really?” Vox asked with a fake tone of shock in his voice. “Well, what do you think about the extermination then. Do you believe angels should be allowed to kill sinners?” 

“No, of course not, no angel should ever hurt a sinner. Why, nobody should ever hurt anybody else! Unfortunately, we were not aware of the extermination until recently; we were kept in the dark and had no idea it was happening.” 

“So, winners were living in blissful ignorance while we were being slaughtered?” Vox pressed on with a grin. “It must be nice being so unaware of what’s happening around you that you have no idea genocide is happening, uh?” 

“I have lived through genocide,” Alastor answered before Vox could even think about saying anything else. “I have lived through endless slaughter, torture, and abuse. I have stepped on bloody corpses that I recognized and watched faces I knew be burned alive. I have heard screams for help and cries filled with pain, so believe me, I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.” 

Alastor lazily moved to take a seat on one of the lobby’s chairs. He walked with his head held high, while his hair gently moved behind him, and as he sat down, it draped over his shoulders like silk. He was elegant, no doubt about it, and there was something about the way he moved that was magnetizing, as if he was claiming everyone’s attention and he had every right to do so. He kept smiling, his eyes following Vox before he motioned for the chair in front of him. It was an invitation for Vox to sit, showing no concern over Vox’s bad-faith questions and statements. 

Vox twitched, and his fingers flickered with electricity. Alastor’s voice was doing that thing again; he could feel it slipping through his very being as the angel kept talking. It wasn’t as strong as before, no, it was a moderate version that was just nudging Vox’s mind, pushing him towards the angel. It made him want to keep listening to Alastor, but this time, Vox was prepared. He wasn’t going to let this angel mess with him again. 

“Oh? It sounds like you have had a fascinating life!” Vox teleported and sat across the angel, his full attention on him. Everyone else was nothing more than an accessory to what he really wanted, and what he wanted was to get to this angel. To get back at the fucker that dared hypnotize him and take control of him. 

“Well, I was once human after all,” Alastor explained and gently tapped his fingers against his staff. “So, I believe I can understand sinners to some extent.” 

“Interesting, quite interesting,” Vox nodded and grinned at the angel once again. “So you were one of the lucky ones that made it to heaven then, so tell me, how did that happen? Aren’t you supposed to be some high-ranking angel? I thought angels like that were only created by God.” 

“Well, if you must know, I simply did what was asked of me,” Alastor gently touched one of the holes on one of his hands. 

Vox had noticed the wounds on the Angel when he first laid eyes on him. They were the same bloody wounds he saw in that white silhouette that appeared before him not long ago. Alastor’s wounds were odd for sure, they had an odd placement, and for the most part, they didn’t seem to be hurting him. 

Alastor turned his eyes towards Vox and smiled at him. He showed him his hands, displaying the two open wounds on his palms. The two festering holes looked bloody and like a pulsating wound that refused to heal. It was quite gruesome, and it felt out of place for an angel to have. Alastor, however, didn’t seem bothered at all, and instead, he gently and almost tenderly ran one of his fingers over the wound. He stared at the wounds with a deep fondness that almost felt too intimate. The way his half-lidded eyes traced every single wound was nearly seductive in a way that was hard to explain. 

“When I first got these wounds, I was fifteen,” Alastor said, his voice was now softer, and his half-lidded eyes moved from his wounds to look at Vox. “It was the first time I felt His touch. I was a devoted believer, despite everything happening around me. I prayed and believed in Him above all. Some days, I would even pray while crying until I fell asleep. I was living in misery, everyone around me was. I watched people die every day. Good people, kind people. They didn’t deserve the pain they went through.” 

“I begged for help. I begged for a miracle. I begged to be taken by Him. I was on my knees with my hands together, begging every day. I begged not to become like the monsters I saw every day, because I could feel myself rotting from the inside, and then one day, I felt pain like I had never felt before. No one was hurting me, and yet, these wounds appeared on my hands. They were signs, they were a message. I was being heard. My devotion was not in vain.” 

Alastor ran one of his hands through his hair and tilted his head with an amused smile. He stared at Vox straight in the eyes with a stare that looked so cold yet full of untold rage that didn’t match the smile on his face. 

“I was touched by God that day,” Alastor said with his voice becoming lighter while also filled with pride. The malice behind his stare melted into nothing but unwavering devotion as he spoke. “He picked me to become his messenger. I was to become His voice amidst the torment my people and I were suffering. Every wound only made me feel closer to Him, and eventually, there was no more pain. It was as if pain didn’t even exist. Even as holes were drilled in my hands and feet alike, I felt no more pain. I only felt His love, the never-ending adoration that was aimed at me and my mission. I was chosen to become His righteous weapon, His sworn soldier among the filth that was rotting and consuming His world.”

“Why you?” Vox heard himself asking before he could stop himself, not at all realizing that he hadn’t been able to look away from the angel for a single second. 

Why this angel? Why? Vox had heard tales like these many times. He could remember hearing stories like these when he was alive. The majority of those tales were nothing but crazy religious psychosis that made people go crazy. Hell, Alastor sounded kind of crazy, but the difference between him and those people was the fact that Alastor was living evidence that what he was saying was true. God had chosen him. He picked him, and now he was a seraphim when he was born mortal. 

A God had chosen Alastor, and Vox wanted to know more. He was thirsty for more. He needed to know more. How many could say they were chosen by a God? Not many. And Vox, he was aiming for that spot. He wanted to sit on that throne with people bowing down to him, and for a second, he felt his stomach twist at the idea of Alastor being one of those bowing down to his feet, just like he did for his God, but this time, Vox was going to be taking that spot. 

That adoration and faithfulness could be aimed at him instead. 

“I asked myself that many times. Why me? Why not my mother? Why not my neighbor? Why not the priest I prayed with? I asked myself why many times. I still do. But I found peace within myself a long time ago,” Alastor let out an airy laugh while a rosy blush slowly crawled over his cheeks and nose. “You know how? I simply accepted the fact that I cannot question why God does some things; instead, I have to look at the result of his actions. Why does God do anything? I’m afraid it isn’t my place to question it. I am a messenger born to do his will. I am the hand that is guided by his touch and the weapon he aims at His enemies. I’ll gladly serve him until I am no longer of use. I would become the stepping stones that He tramples over, just to be able to bathe in His never-ending glory. For I am nothing but a servant, a tool, and an extension of His will.” 

And Vox believed Alastor. He believed him because the angel in front of him showed nothing but untold devotion in his eyes. The way he was blushing and smiling, the way he looked as if he was at the edge of pure ecstasy just by talking about his love and beliefs. It was something Vox had never seen before. 

Vox met many people in hell. He was used to people looking at him with admiration, envy, love, and even worship. He was accustomed to people in V-Tower doing his every whim at his command. They didn’t question him; they simply did it. They all wanted to do whatever he said. They all wanted to follow his every command, but Vox knew this was all because they feared him. Fear was a strong weapon. It was stronger than honey-coated words or the illusion of relationships. If people feared you, then they truly wanted to do nothing else but to please you. It was one of the many ways that Vox was able to remain in control in hell. He manipulated and used people like they were disposable, because that’s what it took to be at the very top. 

It wasn’t as if people didn’t use him either; they all wanted something from him. They all reached for him to grab tiny pieces of himself that would grant them what they wished. Whether it was power, money, or fame, they all wanted something. 

This angel didn’t fear his God, and yet he was willing to do whatever God asked of him. He was willing to lay himself bare to show his devotion and love. He wanted nothing in return, expected nothing in return, all he wanted was to be blessed and saved by the one he loved most. It was a type of devotion that Vox hadn’t seen before, and it thrilled him. It was almost intoxicating. It made the electricity coursing through his body pulsate in excitement. 

So this was what a true believer looked like, what a true servant should be. He accepted pain with open arms as long as it came from God. He accepted blessings in the shape of wounds and scars. He loved unconditionally and devoted his whole life to one single being. He bowed his head and bent his knees while prostrating himself as a tool to be used. 

And Vox wondered, if he ever had a believer like this…would he finally be satisfied? Would he finally feel like a real God?

Chapter Text

Vox knew that success wasn’t granted to those who stood still and waited for their dreams to come true. Life was full of opportunities, and the only way to succeed was to take destiny by the throat and bend it to your will. If he wanted something, he could just take it. Whether it was fame, glory, money, or success, he was willing to do whatever it took to reach his goals. He wasn’t one to stay still; his mind was constantly moving, and so was his body. The path to success was red with blood, and Vox stepped on the corpses of the fallen to climb his way to the top. 

There was no denying that Vox belonged in hell. He was cruel, sadistic, overambitious, greedy, and always took what he wanted. Yet, he saw himself above all of this. He saw himself above hell and the petty sinners who were nothing but losers, who were nothing in life and are now nothing in hell. There were sinners in hell older than Vox and his entire bloodline, and yet here he was, succeeding and making hell his as the media overlord. 

Hell was filled with rotten souls that were pitiful and shameful, but heaven? Heaven had successful souls, ambitious souls, and kind souls. They were beyond the petty bullshit in hell. They were better, and Vox deserved nothing but the best. He wanted to own souls that would make him stronger, that would elevate him to a point at which he could look down at the world and see nothing but a realm for the taking. 

Vox wanted everything. He deserved everything. He was above everyone in hell. 

Vox wanted a world that would bow down to him the way Alastor was ready to fall on his knees and devote his whole being to one singular person. 

He wanted to be a god, a veritable god, one with undisputable power and reach that would make people adore him and beg for his presence. He wanted to own lives and souls, to have people molded to his will until he owned their very being. 

“I hope my answer was satisfactory,” Alastor said, smiling at Vox and even playfully winking at him before softly laughing behind his hand. “It is embarrassing to talk about myself like this, but if this is what must be done, I have no issues with it!” 

Vox glanced over at Velvette, who just shrugged at him. They were certainly not expecting this kind of answer from the angel. Not only that, but their numbers were off the charts at the moment. Vox could see the notifications flashing through his eyes. Everyone was watching them. 

Velvette decided to jump in this time. She smiled and sat next to Vox before turning her attention towards Charlie instead of the angel. Picking the weakest link was always the best way to gain control of the narrative.

“So, Miss Morningstar. I heard that you expect sinners to change everything about themselves for them to be redeemed?” Velvette asked with a fake tone of shock in her voice. “Isn’t that vile? Are you saying that sinners aren’t good enough? That they deserve to suffer in hell?” 

“W-what?” Charlie shook her head, waving her hands in front of her as she tried to deny the accusations. “No! T-that’s not it at all. I mean, well, sinners do have to change, and when you think about it, they did do bad things to end up here, but! I believe everyone deserves a second chance!”

“Interesting, so you aren’t denying it,” Velvette said with a smirk. “It feels like sinners would just come to this hotel to be judged and humiliated!” 

“That’s not what I said at all!” Charlie continued, but then Alastor raised one of his hands, stopping Charlie from saying anything else. 

“I feel you are confused, Missy,” Alastor said, and the attention was back on him. “Comparing people willing to better themselves to having to change who they are is quite dishonest. There is nothing wrong with wanting to grow and be a better version of yourself! Why, that’s what keeps humanity going! It is in our very being to aspire to be better and do better. If a sinner believes hell isn’t for them anymore, I don’t see what’s wrong with wanting to change and aim for heaven next!” 

Vox glanced at Velvette and quickly made a motion with one of his fingers over his throat. It was time to cut the feed. They could bash and destroy Charlie with ease, but this angel had a way with words that wasn’t any different from theirs. He knew what to say and how to say it. This made trying to manipulate the interview a lot harder. 

Velvette tapped the end stream button on her phone, but to her surprise, it wasn’t working. She frowned and repeated the action, but nothing was happening. Did her phone freeze? She couldn’t tell, but then her phone screen went white with a silhouette with red eyes and a smile.

All of the screens and TVs in Pentagram City turned white, displaying a glowing silhouette with red eyes and a smile. The large screens on top of buildings, everyone’s phone, and the TVs in every single bar and restaurant were showing the same feed. The static around the silhouette made it glitch and twitch, but for the most part, it stayed still with the same wide smile that never seemed to waver. 

“I want all sinners to know that you aren’t being judged by any of us,” Alastor’s voice rang through every single screen, and then his red eyes rolled back to turn silver just as his halo grew in size along with his antlers. The red tears that spilled from the corner of his eyes never dripped further than his chin, as if they were suspended on his face. “We are not here to pass judgment, we aren’t worthy of such a feat.”

The angel was taking over his signal! Vox turned to Velvette to try to get her to help him, but her eyes were staring at the angel without blinking. She was tilting her head with her phone in her hands as she continued to record what the angel was saying. Fuck! Vox was on his own. He growled, and a thick cable ripped through the back of his suit to hook itself to one of the hotel’s sockets. He needed to cut the signal, but it was as if something was blocking him from being able to reach the V-Tower. 

As if all of this wasn’t enough, Vox had to constantly shock himself to stop the angel’s voice from affecting him. He could feel himself getting drowsy, but he wasn’t going to allow this fucker to hypnotize him again. 

“You are welcome to come to this hotel, if you wish to change your life, if you wish to become a better version of yourself.” Alastor continued to speak for the masses, his voice turning louder as static filled his words. “Please know that we will welcome you with open arms and shelter your pain as our own. For He said carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill my word. We are meant to help one another, to shelter the burden of life and chase away the temptation that keeps our minds bound to sin.” 

“Do not fear us, do not fear change, and do not fear the potential within you! You are stronger than what you are told. You are stronger than what you were forced to become. I believe in you, everyone here will believe in you. All you need to do is ‌believe in yourself, and I’ll welcome your sins with open arms and make them my own to cleanse you of the horrors that torment your existence!” 

“Your sins will become the never-ending drive to fuel the love that’ll teach you a new path in life. Do not feel shame, do not think of your failures, we’ll grant you what you desire, peace and freedom from this retched place that has condemned you to eternal suffering. So repent, take a new path in life, swallow your pride, and join us in a world that’ll welcome you as you are, for flaws are only a step away from becoming virtues.” 

Alastor snapped his fingers then, his eyes rolling back to his normal red. The live feed cut off, and all the screens in Pentagram City returned to their regular shows and news, yet everyone in the city was quiet; no one dared to break the silence as the voice from the angel continued to echo in their heads. It continued to whisper in their ears, gripping their very being. The words resonated within them, tempting them with sweet nothings that made them hope for something better than the life they currently knew. 

Vox growled with static filling his voice and glared at the angel in front of him. He hadn’t just snatched his TV signals but also used them to deliver his message to the entire city. The numbers on his feed were going crazy. He couldn’t keep up with all the data overloading his servers as people quickly took to the internet to talk about what just happened. 

Vox reached out for Velvette and gently shocked her until she was finally able to snap out of the trance she was in. Velvette blinked a few times and then shook her head before looking at Vox with wide eyes. So she finally believed him about this damn angel and the power of his voice. 

“It seems like that’ll conclude the interview,” Vox said in a fake-friendly tone that was hiding the animosity he was harboring for the angel in front of him. 

“Oh? Leaving so soon?” Alastor tilted his head with an innocent look on his face before standing up. “I never knew interviews could be so quick!” 

“Some tend to be,” Vox mumbled, wanting nothing else but to get out of this damn hotel. 

“Ah, that’s disappointing,” Alastor mused with a smile. “But I guess I am hard to satisfy.” 

Vox felt electricity twitching through his body as he fought the urge to reach for the angel and slam him down against the floor. Instead, he smiled and turned around to face the angel once more. He took a step closer and then held his hand out for Alastor. 

“It was a pleasure, Alastor,” Vox said with the same friendly smile on his face that seemed to be mirroring Alastor’s. 

Alastor stared at Vox’s extended hand, and his ears twitched. The once friendly eyes slowly melted into muted indifference that was hidden behind a smile. It was only a couple of seconds later that he finally extended his hand to meet Vox’s handshake.  

The second Alastor’s hands reached out for Vox, he immediately tightened his grip and then pulled the angel closer, wrapping him in a one-arm hug with his claws tightly gripping his shoulder, while his head leaned close to his ear to whisper. 

“I’ll make sure you pay for this, you preaching cunt.” 

Vox hardly managed to say his words before Niffty and Husk were next to Alastor, pushing Vox away while glaring at the overlord with their glowing eyes. 

“Let go of him!”

“Get your hands off ‌him!” 

Husk and Niffty said together and stepped in front of Alastor to maintain a greater distance between Alastor and Vox. 

“Whoa, no need to get so hostile,” Vox said with a chuckle. “I was just trying to be friendly, but I guess you angels are too sensitive about this.” 

“Don’t touch Alastor!” Niffty said while stomping her feet. “No touching! Bad, you are a bad demon!” 

“Whatever,” Vox shrugged and grinned. “Let’s go, Velvette, and we’ll be seeing you around.” 

The group watched as Vox and Velvette left the hotel, the two not even bothering to say their goodbyes to the rest of the crew. 

“What a fucking prick,” Husk said after a while with a glare.

“Language, Husker,” Alastor reprimanded him. 

“Oh, my bad. What a jackass.” 

It wasn’t any better, but Alastor said nothing else. 

The hotel was far too peaceful in the middle of the night. Most of the guests had gone to bed, and the few that were still awake were mostly in the lobby watching TV. Some others were hanging out in the recreation rooms, but for the most part, everyone was quiet. The only noise coming from the large lobby was the sound of bottles being picked up and then set on the bar before glasses clicked together as someone rummaged through the small area.

Angel sighed in frustration and read the labels of every bottle he picked up. He was glancing at his phone and then at what was in his hands before deciding whether he needed it or not. Who knew that trying to make a mixed drink could be this complicated? Maybe if he knew where the items he needed were located, then it would be easier. 

“Having trouble there?” 

Angel was startled by the new voice and accidentally got up too fast, hitting his head on the bar with a groan and a frustrated glare. The angel, Husk, was just looking at him with an amused smile. 

“I’m just trying to make a drink, this hotel got all this alcohol but nobody to serve it,” Angel explained and went back to looking at his phone to see what else he needed.

“I guess it was a rough day, uh?” Husk walked around the bar and stood next to Angel while leaning back against the countertop behind him. 

“Every day is a bad day when I have to see one of the Vees.”

“You talking about the two assholes that were here earlier?” 

“Yeah, those assholes. My boss works with them, and he’s the biggest asshole of them all,” Angel sighed and ran one of his hands through his hair before reaching for a bottle of Vodka to take a swing at it. It burned, and it didn’t taste good, but he really needed a drink. 

“Step aside,” Husk made a shoo motion towards Angel, and it wasn’t until he was on the other side of the bar that the angel seemed content with him. “What do you want?” 

“You’re going to make me a drink?” Angel raised one of his eyebrows and gave Husk an incredulous look. “No offense, but I need something strong right now, and I doubt a guy like you knows what they're doing.” 

“Y’know, I wasn’t born an angel,” Husk said and rolled his eyes. “Now, what do you want?”

Angel still wasn’t sure if he could trust this angel, but well, he had very few options at this point. “I want something strong but sweet, like something that goes down smooth but it don’t taste like booze.” 

“Gotcha,” Husk looked around the bar and started to pick up a few bottles and mixers. It was only a couple of minutes later that Husk looked back at Angel. “Thank you, by the way.”

“Uh? Thank you for what?”

“For trying to protect us earlier,” Husk explained and grabbed a cocktail shaker. “Things got hectic, and the princess was being impulsive, but you were still trying to look out for us.”

“Nah, don’t mention it,” Angel waved his hand dismissively and then leaned his cheek against it. “I just don’t like the idea of more people falling for those assholes' tricks.”

 “Still, you went against your boss’s partner, knowing it could get you in trouble. That was amazing.” Husk said with a smile and poured the mixer into the shaker along with two shots of rum.

Angel felt himself blushing at the compliment and then awkwardly ran his fingers through his hair. Still, he couldn’t help the small smile that spread across his lips. 

“So, I understand that Smiles got assigned to this job, but why are you here?” Angel asked, breaking the small silence. 

“He summoned me to help, that’s it,” Husk said and then poured the drink he had just mixed into a tall glass.

“Yeah, but this is hell, dude. Why would you want to come here?” Angel asked as the mixed drink was pushed towards him. He stared at the pink drink for a second and then took a sip, just to lick his lips and take another sip. It was good. 

“I owe Alastor a favor, so whenever he needs help with his assignments, I help him,” Husk explained and started working on another drink. “He’ll say that I have no choice, but if I tell him no, he just pouts and does things on his own. He just likes to pretend like I can’t say no.” 

“I’m guessing is the same for the shorty?” 

“Niffty? Yeah, but she loves Alastor, so she never says no to him.” 

“So, how did you two meet?” 

“Well, believe it or not, I always thought I would end up here, in hell,” Husk picked up the vodka bottle and stared at it for a few seconds. He could see his reflection in it, and he could also see Angel. “I was drafted during the second war. I was nothing but a boy, still wet behind the ears, but they told me I was old enough to carry a gun. They said I was a man and needed to fight for my country.” 

“Wait, so you have killed people?” Angel asked incredulously. His eyes were wide, and for a second, he almost spilled his drink. 

“Yep,” Husk nodded. “I killed people before. People who probably had families and loved ones, just like me. I hardly ever saw their faces, and when I did, they looked as scared as I was. When I came back home, I kept having nightmares about what happened. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t eat. The guilt of what I had done was horrible, and it was eating me alive.” 

Husk finished the second drink, and this time he poured the mixture into a martini glass. “I started drinking. I couldn’t stop drinking. It was the only way to stop the memories that kept replaying in my head. I started with alcohol, then drugs, and eventually I even started gambling. I was doing everything to ruin my life because I was in pain. I was burning, and there was no one to put out the fire.” 

“I tried to quit many times. I tried to better my life and do whatever I could to do better, but the damned booze always won. I wasted away years of my life trying to change, just to fall into the same hole again. So, I started praying, it was a last-ditch effort. I had nothing to lose at that point.” 

“Did it work?” Angel asked and reached out for the martini glass. 

“Surprisingly, yeah,” Husk chuckled and looked up at Angel. “Alastor heard my prayers, and he came to me in a dream. At first, I thought I was finally going crazy, but he simply said that I had fought long enough and that I could rest now. The next morning, I woke up, and for the first time in twenty years, I didn’t crave alcohol.” 

“It was a miracle,” Husk continued to explain. “I was able to sober up within a year. So I started to fix my life and even helped others improve theirs. I started a shelter for homeless veterans. I helped people who dealt with substance abuse. I basically did everything I could to repay the favor I was given. I was a lucky guy, and I wanted to help others feel lucky too. I asked for forgiveness for the lives I had taken and tried to repay my sins with kindness. When I died, I woke up in heaven. I had repented and was forgiven.” 

“So redemption does work,” Angel mumbled quietly and stared at his hands. “Even when you aren’t dead.” 

“Yeah, it does,” Husk nodded and leaned against the bar with a smile. “Whatever stains you see on your hands. I’m sure we can help you wipe them clean. You aren’t what your sins made of you, but what you become once you try to heal from them.”

Angel smiled and took a sip of his martini. “Then I better start working harder.” 

“That’s the spirit,” Husk said and went back to making another drink. 

“By the way, I saw smiles leaving earlier, but there was no one with him. You sure it's okay for him to wander around hell by himself?” 

“Don’t worry about Alastor. He can take care of himself.” 

The blue neon glowing lights in the room were seeping through the large windows. The lighting was dim, but it was still bright enough to illuminate the room, even if some corners were left in darkness. Amidst the flashing lights and sleek modern floors, a figure lay bound by a silver rope that gleamed against the red clothes the person was wearing. The figure struggled to move, but they could do nothing but lie there as the rope glowed brighter and made it harder for them to do anything.

Alastor blinked slowly and stared at the ceiling in front of him. He arched his body against the floor just to give out a soft noise when the rope zapped whatever energy he had left. He turned his head and tried to look around him, but his eyes were having a hard time adjusting to the contrast between the neon lights and the darkness in the room. The angel couldn’t even call for help, a gag of the same material as the rope was tied securely around his mouth, making all sounds coming from him muffled and soft. 

The sound of footsteps made Alastor’s ears twitch, and he quickly tried to find the source. Soon enough, a pair of well-polished shoes stood right in front of him. 

Vox grinned at the angel on the floor and then reached out to grip his hair with one of his claws. He lifted Alastor’s upper body by his hair and brought him close to his face. “What’s wrong? It’s the angelic rope too tight for you?” 

Alastor’s only response was to stare at Vox with one eye closed from the pain that the hand pulling on his hair was bringing. 

“I could make it tighter,” Vox pondered for a second and then allowed his claw to move from Alastor’s hair to grip one of his ears. He pulled the angel onto his knee and then let go of him. “You look good like that. I guess you were definitely born for it.” 

The static that rumbled in Alastor’s throat wasn’t pleasant. He was glaring at Vox while struggling against the rope that only seemed to dig deeper into his body the more he tried to get free. 

“Not so tough now, uh?” Vox chuckled and used the tip of his shoe to lift Alastor’s chin and force him to look at him. “That little stunt you pulled really fucked me over. It’s going to take a lot of work to fix what you did, but I’m not worried about that right now.” 

Vox snapped his fingers, and cables crawled out from within the floor and ceiling. The cables quickly reached out for Alastor, sliding around his legs, torso, and neck before lifting him off the floor and suspending him in mid-air. The angel tried to struggle again, and Vox slowly curved his hand into a fist, making the cables tighten around the angel’s flesh until he stopped moving. A few more cables appeared after, and they slowly slithered around Alastor’s thighs and midsection. 

The angel was scrawny, there was no doubt about it, and yet the cables were tight enough around his body to make his flesh stand out in soft curves that looked far too enticing. Vox took a step closer, and his claw reached out to hold the Angel’s face by his jaw. He grinned at the distress in those eyes and allowed the cable on Alastor’s neck to grow tighter. Vox’s eyes stayed on Alastor as he began to squirm and struggle again. He was turning his head, trying to get away from Vox’s hand, but the cable around his neck kept him from doing so. The angel was breathing heavily through his nose, and soon enough, he was panting with a glossy look in his eyes. 

“You don’t like being touched, uh? What? Are other people too filthy for you?” As if to make his point, Vox’s claws grew around Alastor’s face, and the sharp tips lightly dug against his cheeks. The metallic claws lightly flickered with sparks, and then, without warning, Vox sent a wave of electricity through the angel’s body. 

Alastor’s eyes rolled back, the red pupils stretching thin until they almost seemed to disappear. He screamed against the gag, the distorted radio static echoing within the room and his throat. The gag kept him muffled, but it was hard to stop the noises coming from his mouth when he was in so much pain. His whole body went stiff, and the fur in his ears stood up. Then it stopped, and his body hung limply against the cords while smoke seemed to come out of his form. He could hardly get air in his lungs, but Vox wasn’t letting him rest as he used the tip of his finger to lift his jaw and force him to look at him once more. 

“Where’s your God now?” Vox asked with a laugh and let go of Alastor. “Is he going to come down and save you? Or is the poor little angel going to have to save himself?” 

Vox snapped his fingers again, and the cables yanked Alastor around until he was on his knees right in front of Vox, with his head tilted back to force him to look at the man in front of him. The angel was now being easily manhandled, and of course, he was, no one came unscattered after having such a high voltage shock to their body. Vox tilted his head and lightly waved one of his hands, making one cable gently stroke Alastor’s face like a pet. 

“How about I give you a chance to save yourself?” Vox smiled, his eyes feasting on the scene in front of him. He slowly ran one of his claws through the angel’s hair, his touch gentle but greedy. “I’m sure angels heard about deals down here in hell, so how about we make one?” 

Alastor’s half-lidded eyes were struggling to remain open. The tears spilling from his eyes only seemed to grow as the gravity of his situation finally dawned on him. The panic in his eyes was now evident, and he started to struggle again, but the cables squeezed his body, forcing him to remain still. He sobbed, and more tears spilled; they clung to his long eyelashes and dripped down onto his smooth skin like little jewels. 

Vox grin only grew, savoring the meal as he reached out to wipe those tears away. “Aw, don’t be sad. I promise it won’t be so bad. I’m just asking for something you’re already used to, so I’m sure it won’t hurt you. All you have to do is serve me, be with me, be the tool I use to reach the heavens and above. In return, I’ll stop this torture. I’ll even treat you nicely. I’m sure angels like you aren’t used to this kind of hardship, so it must hurt a lot. I can do much worse, too. I can drag you through the filth that it’s true hell and have you crawl on your hands and knees through the disgusting depravity that truly rots the souls here.” 

“I’m sure a prude, little fuck like you will have a hard time living through what sinners truly consider hell,” Vox snickered, and his eyes followed the angel’s long neck before he used one cable to slowly slide it underneath Alastor’s clothes. He added another, and then another until the angel was squirming again and making soft noises that made Vox shudder with excitement. “I can be very merciful, or I can be the demon you angels fear so much.” 

Alastor helplessly looked around, his eyes filled with panic as another cable crawled its way underneath his shirt. He was panting, with quick breaths that were hardly reaching his lungs. The anxiety building in his body finally reached a point at which he couldn’t hold on anymore. He was crying nonstop, his red eyes wide as fear slowly took over. 

Vox only response was to drag Alastor closer until the angel’s chin was resting against his stomach. He stared at the panic in those eyes, and then his claws sparked again. The high voltage was linking the electricity at the tip of his fingers. He slowly reached out for the angel again, and Alastor shook his head in response, his eyes wide with pure fear, knowing what was about to happen again. Another shock wasn’t going to kill the angel, right?

Vox was about to touch the angel’s ears when Alastor quickly nodded his head with pure desperation written all over his face. He was accepting. He agreed.

The sparks in Vox’s hand vanished, and he grinned from ear to ear. “It’s a deal then!” He reached out for Alastor’s face, sealing the deal this way as another spark filled the room and cracked the floor underneath them. 

Alastor could hardly register what was happening. The cables let go of him all at once, and his body fell on the floor with a loud thud. He was trembling, with little to no strength left to stand on his hands and knees, but he hardly had time to think about it when a pair of blue shackles appeared on his wrists and then his feet. He quickly sat on the floor, his wide eyes staring at the glowing blue shackles, before a collar snapped around his neck with a chain linked to Vox’s hand. 

Vox moved to sit on his desk, his grin never leaving his face as the angel watched him with wide eyes. He lightly tugged at the chain and could feel his eye swirling as his grin grew sharper and static took over his voice. “Now, crawl over here.” 

The angel hesitated, his ears dropping against his hair before he slowly got on his hands and knees. He was trembling, and Vox could see it in his shoulders. His movements were hesitant, filled with doubt and regret. He started to crawl, his hair slowly falling over his shoulders and dragging across the floor along with the rest of his body. 

The sound of new footsteps filled the quiet room. 

Vox was so engrossed in the view in front of him that he missed the sound until a pair of black shoes were standing next to the angel. 

“My, this is truly pitiful.” 

Vox could recognize that voice everywhere, and yet it didn’t register in his mind until he looked up from the angel on his knees to look at the Alastor that was standing right next to the other. The Alastor on his feet was smiling his signature smile, his eyes fixed on the scene before him with nothing but amusement. He lightly hummed and used his staff to lift the other Alastor’s face. He looked at him from head to toe, while his ears twitched. 

“This is quite the fantasy you have.” Alastor crouched next to his counterpart and then reached out to grip his ears with one of his hands. “I have to say, you got a few things wrong. I don’t cry so easily.” 

Alastor grinned, his red eyes wide as a silver flame ignited from the hand holding the other angel’s ears. 

Vox watched as the Alastor in chains was slowly engulfed in flames. The angel silently screamed and twisted in pain as the skin on his face melted and his eyes turned into nothing but red liquid. The long hair was burned to a crisp. He went into a spasm on the floor with his body twitching and kicking in pain. The gag burned away, and the static-filled screams were so loud they shattered the glass behind Vox. The body slowly turned black as the fire consumed every single feature and clothing. By then, Alastor’s body was stuck in the same pose, with his back arching and his arms clawing at his own chest in an attempt to stop the fire. 

Vox woke up from his dream with wide eyes. He was panting, and sweat was clinging to his skin while his brain repeatedly replayed the gory scene that he had just witnessed. What the fuck was that? He couldn’t even make sense of it. He was still trying to wake up, but then his senses told him to stay on alert, to look around, and so he did. Vox’s eyes scanned the rest of his room, from his living area to his computers and finally his desk. 

Someone was sitting in front of his desk. 

Vox’s screen glitched for a second. The angel from his dreams was sitting on his desk, one leg over the other, while his hands rested on his knees. He sat with a straight back and perfect posture, his chin held high as he gazed out at the view from the large windows.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Vox asked as he got out of his bed. He was wearing nothing but his underwear, but a few cords quickly grabbed his clothes and helped him get dressed in seconds. 

“What a rude greeting,” Alastor mused and didn’t look away from the view in front of him. 

“Sorry, I am not exactly nice to people who decide to break into my house!” 

“I would try knocking, but I doubt your staff would enjoy seeing an angel here. Also, I’m sure they wouldn't let me in.” Alastor laughed and turned his head to face Vox with a smile. His amused eyes were looking at him as he rested his cheek against one of his hands. “Plus, based on your dreams, my presence isn’t entirely unwanted.” 

“Fuck you!” Vox growled and marched towards the angel with an accusative finger pointed at him. “You hack my system, you fucking destroy my servers, you brainwash me, you invade my dreams, and now you break into my fucking house!”

“I also took control of your broadcast.” 

Vox's furious glare made his screen glitch before he teleported right in front of Alastor with his claws on either side of the angel’s legs. He was leaning in with a sneer while sparks of electricity flickered in his eyes and screen. 

“You are asking for it, you winged bastard.” 

Alastor blinked a few times and tilted his head. He wasn’t sure what he was asking for, and as for the wings, he hadn’t even shown anybody he had some! So Vox was making no sense. As for the bastard part, he couldn’t particularly deny that one. 

“I just came to pay a visit and ask for another tiny, itty, bitty favor,” Alastor said with a softer voice filled with honey. His half-lidded eyes had turned innocent in a split second, and the small pout on his lips made him look harmless. 

“Why would I ever do you a favor! You have done nothing but fuck me over for the past few days! You have no idea who you’re messing with!” 

“I truly don’t!” Alastor declared with a wide smile. “In fact, I don’t know much about hell at all! Sooo, that’s why I want to ask YOU to be my guide!” 

“What?” Vox blinked a few times and leaned back. What the hell was this angel even saying? 

“Yeah, you see, we angels don’t really know anything about hell! Me included,” Alastor explained and gently reached to tap Vox’s screen. “That’s where you come in. I need someone to explain to me the ins and outs of hell, the people, and the way of life here. If I’m going to help sinners, then I need to know more about them, rather than try to appeal to their humanity! The princess isn’t very knowledgeable about this kind of stuff, I can tell. So I need someone who sits above to show me what hell is really like.” 

“Now, why would I do something as tedious as that?” Vox slapped away Alastor’s hand but then stopped to think. He grinned and leaned towards the angel, invading his personal space until Alastor was forced to lean back. “Okay, say that I do this for you, what do I get?” 

“Why the accomplishment of helping sinners better themselves! You would take part in a movement greater than hell itself!” 

“Yeah, no, I’m not interested in that at all.” Vox tapped one of his claws against his screen as if he were thinking. He then grinned again and reached for the angel until one of his sharp fingers was almost touching Alastor’s chin. “How about we make a deal?” 

“I will not take part in whatever perversion of myself you have conjured in that head of yours,” Alastor said, referring to Vox’s dream. 

“Oh, come on, you can’t blame a guy for having a wet dream. It’s pretty common after all.” 

“Is it?”

“Yeah, of course it is.” 

“Mh,” Alastor’s voice cracked with static, not looking very convinced of Vox’s words, but also, he didn’t particularly have any experience with this. So maybe it was normal. This was a time when Husk and Niffty would have been helpful; Alastor could ask them about these things. 

“I’ll be your guide in hell, but in return, you have to stay by my side until you are summoned back to heaven.” 

“I can’t do that!” Alastor said right away and shook his head. “My duty is with the hotel and the princess. I cannot neglect nor abandon it! But I could offer you something else.” 

“What is it?” Vox raised one of his brows. 

“If you help me navigate hell and become my guide in return, I’ll grant you a minor miracle,” Alastor smiled and held his hand out for Vox. From Alastor’s palm, a light started to shimmer until it sparked like a star. “This will help you overcome obstacles that you would have found impossible otherwise, but this only helps you. It allows you to grow and become a better version of yourself. It cannot harm anyone, and it will not put anyone in danger.” 

“Why the hell would I want something like that?” Vox laughed and shook his head. “That sounds terrible!”

“Would becoming greater than you already are be considered terrible?” Alastor tilted his head with a smile, obviously stroking Vox’s ego. “You could become stronger, overcome obstacles, and even maybe achieve a dream you have. Or you could use it when you are in trouble to save yourself. Miracles are not small feats, they can truly change a person. Plus, I’m already asking you to be my guide, so we’ll be spending a lot of time together, wouldn’t it be pointless to ask me to be by your side more so than that?” 

The angel did have a point, and Vox had never heard of miracles like this. So he had to wonder about it. “This miracle, can I cash it whenever I want, or does it happen after I’m done being your guide?” 

“You can use it whenever you wish, but only after you are done being my guide. You can save it for a rainy day or use it right away. The choice is yours.” 

“Okay, but I get to decide when I stop being your guide.”

“Fair, but you’ll only get the miracle if I’m okay with it,” Alastor argued in return. “I can’t have you just quitting after the first day.” 

“Makes sense,” Vox nodded along. “One more thing, though, while I’m your guide, you cannot hurt my people or me.” 

Alastor blinked a few times at the last request. “I’m under strict orders not to harm sinners, so I find this kind of redundant, but if that’s what you wish, okay.” 

“Then it’s a deal,” Vox grinned, and his hand quickly reached for Alastor’s hand to shake on it. 

Vox’s screen glitched with electricity as his grin became sharper. The ground and ceiling cracked around them as the deal was sealed. It was then that, for a split second, Vox was able to see large golden wings and multiple eyes looking his way. It happened so fast that when he blinked next, the scene was gone, and Alastor was just sitting there with a smile on his face and a gleam in his eyes that could put any demon to shame.